What is Dead May Never Die
by shedanceswithdragons
Summary: She is the twin sister of Jon Snow, known mostly for her icy beauty and temper to match. He, her father's involuntary ward and castoff prince of the Iron Islands. When everything they've ever known falls to dust, will they be there to pick up one another's pieces or crumble along with it? Winter is coming, and only time will tell if these lost souls can stand the cold.
1. Chapter 1: Little Games

**Hi there! Thanks for checking out my first-ever story here on FanFiction. Before we get down to it just a little disclaimer:** ** _Obviously I don't own any of the rights to Game of Thrones, ASOIAF, or any of George R. R. Martin's original characters, etc etc... Only Valerie Snow belongs to me._**

 **I was an active part of the Quizilla community for about ten years, but one thing it seems I never quite outgrew from my old fanfic habits is how much my heart likes to get ahead of my brain when I write... Combine that with GoT's incredibly intricate and well-woven universe and you're bound to run into some slight timeline/continuity errors every now and again. Again though these will be very slight if they're there at all, hopefully it won't take away from anyone's enjoyment of the story but if you do happen to notice one that bugs you feel free to shoot me a message and I'll do my best to fix it.**

 **And so without further ado, it's my pleasure to present to you, straight from the heart of bloody beating heart of wild wild Westeros,** ** _"What is Dead May Never Die"_** **!**

"Something troubling you, girl?"

The sharp-but-gentle voice of the lady of the house snapped Val up out of her daydreams almost instantly, and the lady watched her as that familiar glaze of worrisome wonder left her eyes as she forced herself back to reality for the third or forth time that day.

"Not at all, my lady, though I so greatly do appreciate your concern. Just... Thinking."

The older woman's brow arched, stretching her pale, thin face out into a look of mildly concerned disapproval. Her deep red hair was pulled back into an unusually elaborate braided bun and she wore her next-best gown, a thick emerald green satin brocade number generously trimmed with decadent fur and accented with a deep brown bodice. The rich color of the fabric accented the lady of the houses' hair and eyes to perfection, and there could certainly be no doubt in the mind of any noble or commoner alike that Lady Catelyn Stark was a great beauty indeed. Her striking appearance made commoners and nobles alike talk all the more, even Val sometimes wondered how her father could have ever...

"...Valerie? Valerie. Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, my lady? Sorry, my lady."

"There are matters of great importance which must be dealt with right now, girl, and not a terrible lot of time left to get it all done. I understand how you must yearn for the presence of only true family you've ever known..." At the thought of the other bastard Catelyn Stark pursed her lips.

"Besides, you know perhaps better than anyone- this is what he always wanted. Every man must choose his own path eventually, however unfortunate for those he leaves behind in the process. However much easier it may be for you to loaf around and distract your mind and... Mope all day, it doesn't exempt you from being a functional member of this household. Which in fact you still are, _and if_ _you ask me it's high time you stared acting like it again. Always be grateful for what you have, child, there's no telling how many have it far worse than you could ever imagine._ Now if you'll excuse me, I need to tend to Bran. Go find some use to make of your time... Get yourself and the girls properly dressed and come downstairs within an hour- the royal family should be here within an hour."

"They're... They're coming back? So soon!? And I thought father had declined the king's offer... Bloody mercy! What in fresh hell-"

"Valerie watch your tongue." Lady Cat's face grew sterner, "Yes, they are. And this time, _Lord Stark_ and my daughters are indeed going back with them. There is quite enough friction between our houses right now as is, frankly no one needs your pirate-mouth commentary adding to the tension. Don't look at me like that, you know I'd day the same of my own daughters- though I'm not sure they'd be so... Emboldened as to use such crass language to begin with. Now go, child."

The teenaged blonde tried in vain to fight back a grin about that last comment, but to her relief Lady Cat smiled back. Val nodded, properly dismissed herself, and ran along to her modest but comfortable quarters. She stopped in her room only quickly to grab a change of clothes and a healthy swig of the luscious dessert wine she kept hidden away under her mattress- almost gone. _Better sneak down to the kitchen quarters tonight and... Refresh my supplies._ Val said to herself, knowing full well how unhealthy it was for a girl her age to be developing such a dependency but not really caring. Cooped up, cloistered away, sold like cattle and bred like sows, on the brink of insanity from boredom- such was the life of a highborn girl, surely they all must have their vices.

 _Sometimes I'd even like to think myself lucky to have been born a bastard,_ she thought, _with no title to honor at least I shall have some say of what I do with my life._ She moved the clutter of canvas and art supplies in varying states of use out from in front of her wardrobe to select an outfit and with that was on her way out the door. **_And in this life and the next I am Valerie Snow- sister to many but none before Jon. Painter, dreamer, bastard... Alcoholic?_**

"Sansa, Arya", Val called as she padded down the hall to the immaculate bedroom her little sisters shared, dropping all formalities as she most always did in private company. Despite the fact that they may not have shared that same infamous bastardly bond she did with Jon, they were her sisters nonetheless.

"Your mother has sent me to see that you're dressed and presentable in time for dinner so- _what on earth are you two doing?_

Valerie had walked in on the next Great War of the Seven Kingdoms, or so it would appear- overskirts and underskirts and linen kirtles and thick wool cloaks in a myriad of colors littered the floors and beds alike, a flurry of tiny feathers from inside one of young Lady Sansa's expensive down pillows flew through the air in such quantities that they rivaled the misty squalls of snow coming down outside, and the tall wicker chair in the corner had sustained a broken leg- probably the battle's worst causality. Taking it all in as she drew a deep breath, Val acted quickly:

"Does someone care to explain this?"

Much to Val's surprise Sansa was the first to speak, gushing forth in panicked response as little Arya's pretty, wild, eyes shown ferociously in the shrinking light of evening. "Don't blame Arya... For once, this one's all on me. My journal, you know, the one with the red ribbon binding that Robb gave me for my last name-day... It's not here! Hasn't been for two days..." The redhead side-eyed her little sister suspiciously, blubbered a little more, carried on: "And I thought Arya took it, I really did, she has before, but..."

"But this time I **didn't**!" I swear to you before the old gods and the new I didn't, and the more I denied it the madder Sansa got, she started tearing apart my side of the room insisting I had to have hidden it somewhere, so I said she lost it and started doing the same to hers, until, until..."

"Until this." Sansa chimed in once again, gesturing halfheartedly towards the frightful mess that sat before the three of them.

"Please don't tell mother, it was all just a big misunderstanding, we... We're so sorry." Arya sighed, her sister nodding in agreement.

"Well, if it was truly a misunderstanding that's all well and good, I appreciate your honesty. So long as we can get this mess cleaned up in a timely manner I see no reason either of your parents need to know of your little altercation... As for the chair, oh I don't know, we can tell them one of you sat down and it just gave out." Val smiled, "Not a big deal at all, really."

"Goodness, what ever would we do without you?" her middle said, returning the much-appreciated warmth.

"One thing I honestly don't get though... If Arya doesn't have it, and you don't have it... Just where exactly _is_ your journal, Sansa?"

"Looking for this!?" as if on cue, a young man's amused voice cut through the recently restored calm, and Valerie Snow and her sisters whipped around to be met with ruddy hair framing eyes the color of the ocean and a very satisfied smirk. Theon Greyjoy, their father's ward/exceptionally well-to-do political prisoner, stood in the open doorway. Dangling between his forefinger and thumb was a small unmarked leather book with a red ribbon binding.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Greyjoy? Haven't you got anything better to do with your time than listen in on little girls as they dress?"

He laughed sarcastically. "No no, you've got it all wrong! I was just on my way to my quarters when I heard an _awful commotion_ , from what I gathered it would seem young Lady Sansa has lost her diary." His animated face reflected a mocking pout of feigned concern that drove Val crazy. "And as it would so happen I've been reading the most interesting book lately, one that seems to match the physical description of the one in question to a tee... Strange." His smirk widened into a full-blown shit-eating grin.

"Might have been a bit quick on the draw to blame her sister, eh? Just look at what a mess they've made! You've your work cut out for you tonight, Snow-bird." Those burning blue orbs glowed mischievously as he taunted them.

"MY DIARY, HE HAS MY DIARY! VAL DO SOMETHING, VAL HURRY, VAL-"

The eldest of Eddard Stark's daughters was quick on her feet. "Sansa, stop acting a child, I'll get your damned diary back if it's the last thing I do... **And don't call me Snow-bird.** " She started towards Theon, the brown and mahogany skirts of her casual day-dress sweeping across the floor.

"You want it, girl? Come get it!" And without a second to spare, the redheaded young man tore off down the castle halls as fast as his lean, agile limbs could possibly carry him, making it quite difficult indeed for a certain small teenage girl clad in two long, thick dresses to keep up.

Theon veered left and right through what was almost a maze of upstairs halls and chambers, trying to lose the girl but not really; He mostly just liked to keep her on her toes. The chase carried on, him laughing, her screaming, but while he was undeniably faster and stronger she was almost always smarter.

Valerie was well used to these little games by now, ridiculous pranks and trials of all kinds at the hands of Theon Greyjoy- they had been close once, almost as close as she and Jon... The two had bonded over not only their mutual feelings of rejection and ostrasization in the very household and community where they grew up but also in their shared sense of humour and tastes in food and music and art, in their liberal use of foul language and secret love of chaos and mischief and all things delightfully terrible...

Well, hers was secret, anyway. But that was before the pair had begin to grow up and come into themselves, before he'd discovered whoring and she boys and boozing, before things had grown awkward.

Now it seemed that the only way these two teens who might have even once called themselves best friends could comfortably acknowledge one another was when he was taunting her... So taunt her he did. Was there an older cliche in the book?

"Ooh. Come onnnnn, little Snow-bird, so close! I _know_ you can run faster than that! Remember our races through the woods when we were children? You bested me nearly every time, you-" SMACK. He'd had been so busy looking over his shoulder calling out names and jests he had let his own feet get ahead of him, sending him flying square onto his stomach. Only a few steps behind and running far too quickly to stop herself in time, Val was quick to join the boy who had once been her friend in his epic fall.

To make matters worse, Theon had just enough time between his fall and hers to collect himself a bit and roll over... Before either of them knew it they were nose-to-nose and chest-to-chest on the cold stone floor.

The blue-eyed young man lying frozen below the blue-eyed young girl in silent bewilderment, Val was first to come to her senses, sitting up.

"Good Gods, Greyjoy, see what happens when you test me? I could've broken your back."

"Could have? You nearly did. Have you gained weight, Valerie?" Theon smirked underneath her. She snatched the journal from his limp hand and couldn't help but smirk back, teasing him with it for just a moment before realizing she'd been insulted and got off of him.

"Well maybe next time I'll do it for real! Serve you right, all the shit you pull at my expense. Those girls tore their bedroom apart at the seams, may very well have torn each other apart too had I not come in when I did!" She rose to her feet, rubbing the sore elbows where she'd taken a good part of the weight of her fall to avoid crushing Theon's ribs or sternum with them. One was already black-and-blue.

"The only true brother I've ever had is gone, and one of the others is lying in his room half-dead! My father and sisters leave for King's Landing tomorrow... Winter _is_ coming, Greyjoy, and if this pattern continues the entire House of Stark will be in shambles before it even hits. Is your best solution in all of this truly to torment me!? What do you get out of it?"

Val thought saw a brief reflection of shame take over the redhead's face as he finally came to his feet, only to be quickly replaced by his usual airs of arrogance and cynicism. _Oh, Theon. If only you had half the courage and prowess you like to claim, maybe then you wouldn't be so damn ashamed to be let your real self show every once in awhile..._

"The family that you love and cherish and value ever so much, I'm sure. And if you ask me, dark days such as these call for even more fun and mischief than usual than usual to lighten them up... Regardless of who's expense it's at. Even you understood that once."

"I grew up!" Val brushed the the dirt off the hip of her dress, turned around and headed back towards her sister's room. "You should try it sometime. Now if you'll excuse me, _my lord_ , I have two little ladies who require my attention so that their last night in Winterfell for awhile can be a memorable one. I trust I'll see you at supper."

"Hey Snow-bird! Ya know, I didn't even read the bloody diary!" He called back. She believed him. Not even Theon Greyjoy could ever get bored enough to actually want to read a young teenaged girl's diary, not at this age, not with all the whores and parties in the North at his disposal. No- it was all for the sake of the games. These little games with Val that he seemed to love so much, they were both the end and the means. She shook her head, and tired of the shenanigans as she may have been she couldn't help but laugh.

"No, of course you didn't... A word of advice, Kraken-boy," she scoffed, using his childhood nickname right back at him. "The next time you seek some of my attention, bear in mind that there are plenty of other ways to get it than through your foolish games."

And so, having nothing particularly clever or poignant with which to retaliate, the Kraken-boy watched the girl who had once been his little Snow-bird walk away, her full hips swinging side to side under her waist-length shroud of icy blonde hair.


	2. Chapter 2: Of Departures and Drunkards

**Thanks so much for such a great start, everyone! Please keep the favorites/follows/reviews coming, your feedback and support helps inspire me to keep writing more than you could ever know 3**

 **In _wake of what could very well be her last night with what little sense of family she has left, Ned Stark's eldest daughter struggles to cope and winds up finding comfort and companionship in the most surprising of places._**

After the modest feast held to celebrate Lord Stark's newfound promotion at the hands of the king as well as his going away, Val Snow bid a tearful farewell to her Lady-sisters (who'd be accompanying him) and retired to her chambers to wait until the castle grew cold and quiet with the dead of night. Not that this was a particularly difficult task by any means... She was actually quite partial to staying up straight through until sunrise, and more than just occasionally.

"Basking in the daylight is for foolish ladies", she proclaimed aloud, twirling a paintbrush between her nervous fingertips as she gave life to the canvas before her to pass the time until she could go get her wine.

"And in the night, for lovers and harlots." a raspy chuckle echoed from her bedroom doorway.

"Oh, hello, father." Val said, trying to keep the slight resentment and bitterness she currently held towards Lord Stark carefully hidden. _Though I ought not have to,_ the girl thought. _Could therebe a more painfully obvious way to ostracize your remaining bastard than leaving her behind to rot as you take off with both of her sisters to keep your precious peace in King's Landing? We'd all be safer here and you damn well know it._ "How can I help you m'lord?"

"I will be heading south with Sansa and Arya in tow at the first rays of the rising sun tomorrow morning. I only wanted to say goodbye before I left... Properly, you know. Father to daughter." The hardened and shaggy-haired man sat down on the girl's bed, patted the space next to him for her to come sit down. She did so reluctantly, her distaste with the situation becoming evermore apparent.

"Mmh, father-to-daughter indeed." Val muttered, shying away from him. "For one who's been so good to me, all things considered... You've certainly taken up a most peculiar way of showing you care lately."

Eddard Stark frowned down upon his eldest daughter, and for a quick moment she thought perhaps he was upset with her... But the look in his eyes quickly revealed far more sympathy than disappointment or anger.

"My dear", he uttered calmly, putting his arm around her shoulder and showing more tenderness than he had to her in a good few years, "I know you can't help but feel left out, and perhaps the fault is mine... Honestly Val, King's Landing is no great paradise." The man sighed. "I've been treating you like a little girl for far too long... Keeping your ears and eyes as far from the ugly truths of the world as possible, sheltering your senses as one would a child's. But you are clearly no child. You've grown and blossomed into a more intelligent, admirable young woman than I ever thought possible, and it's high time I started treating you like it."

"Do you think I'm deaf, m'lord... Or just stupid?" Despite Ned's condolences Val's temper was failing her yet again. "I'm much more aware of the world than you and your absurd little council of stuffy old men would ever hope to think. What I may admittedly lack in firsthand experience I more than make up for in education, mental sharpness, reasoning skills and wit... Besides, if I may speak freely; while I may pretend for her sake it's not as if you and Lady Cat are exactly the most subtle people in all of Westeros when discussing your private matters."

This time, Ned did looked disappointed. "...You've been eavesdropping."

"No, sir- Never! Overhearing, more like... And putting two and two together. I know it's none of my business, but matters such as these are kind of too big to ignore."

"What exactly do you know?"

"That the previous hand to the king, Lord Jon Arryn beyond reasonable doubt was murdered. That you think the Lannister are behind it. That you're offering up _my sister_ like meat to Prince Joffrey as a token of peace and good will, the same way the Lord of the Iron Islands offered up Theon Greyjoy to _you._ And that-"

"Ah. Even more wits about you than I thought." Thought meant to be a compliment, the little praise left his lips with a very grim tone. "You've proven your point, that's quite enough. No need to worry yourself this way over issues you have no control of, little one. In the weeks passing since King Rob's initial visit, all this time I've assumed you were simply jealous... One would think I'd know my own blood better than _that_. You, of all the young maidens in the kingdom, sick with envy at your little sister because she's to be shipped off to the city to wed..." He offered a weak smile and halfheartedly shook his head. "Can you even imagine such a thing, Val?"

 _Oh, father. For man with such serious nature, so often trying to make his children smile when they need it most._

And smile back she did, as sincerely as she could possibly muster. "Not even if I wanted to, father."

This was true. In spite of the emotive and passionate little spitfire she was at heart and around those who knew her best, Valerie Snow would last never let this side of her true self show in polite company... To say that she did so for the sake of properness and poise though would have been more than a little lie. In fact, Ned Stark's hot-tempered little blonde could by surprising contrast be downright cold at times, and not by accident.

 _"A lady's demeanor towards those who may cross her can be her strongest weapon... Or her greatest undoing. Take care to heed by this next time your tongue starts to get ahead of you."_ Lady Catelyn had said to her once after a particularly bad upset that had happened when she was fourteen, an ultra-rare bit of womanly advice shared between them. _"I'm not saying that in order to be successful your whole life must be lived a facade, quite the contrary. One must always take the time to honor the needs and feelings one's true self or you will slowly begin to lose her... But take great care to mind how much of that self you choose to show to those whom you do not trust absolutely, for it can only be used against you in the end. It never can be easy for us women..."_

And so it was. The walls around the girl's heart built and hardened, her composure stiffened, she cast all those who tried to court her and nearly all those who tried to befriend her aside with cool indifference; this in turn had proven to build her quite the reputation as she began to come of age.

She'd figured out on her own at a fairly young age that the vast majority of men only wanted one thing from a pretty (or at least the men seemed to think so, though her nose was too big for her face and her face too round for her frame, she had nice teeth and a nice figure and that seemed to be enough) little bastard girl anyways... And it _sure as hell_ wasn't her hand in marriage, not that the prospect of marriage had ever particularly interested her anyway. So one by one she turned them all away until they became fewer and fewer and further between, hardly any at all came now. The few that were stubborn (or entitled, or stupid) enough to do so anyway would leave scorned and blessed with firsthand horror stories of just what a cold-hearted little bitch the Ice Princess of the North really was.

 _Ice Princess._ Actually having been called this once by a particularly bitter young man she'd rejected (the ones of a certain social status always got the most piss in their pants about it all), from the way he made it out he wasn't the first to do so. Though she couldn't even rightly be called a lady let alone a princess, between her frigid demeanor, unusual Valerian-esque features, and even the simple fact that she'd lived her whole life in Winterfell... Val supposed this silly little moniker from pissy little men was appropriate enough. Certainly better than Snow-bird.

Despite her attitude toward just about any man who wasn't born of her own blood, the young man who had long ago bestowed her with that latter namesake seemed to be the sole exception to this rule. Though they had undoubtedly drifted apart a good deal in recent years, Valerie Snow was still entirely comfortable giving just about all of her real self (best and worst of it alike) to Theon Greyjoy. And at least subconsciously, she was almost entirely sure it wasn't just because they had grown up together.

There was some irony there no doubt, as one of the greatest obstacles in the way of what had once been a solid friendship was Val's intense disdain the cocky, arrogant, nasty airs the Greyjoy boy often liked to put on (must be something to do with being Ironborn)... All the while keeping track of a somewhat multifaceted personality herself. _The difference there_ , she remarked in her mind, _is I don't hide from the people I truly care about... But does he_ _ **even**_ _, anymore? About me, about anyone? Has his heart truly grown as cold and cruel and apathetic as the Iron waters from which he came? No. No way._

She shook off the thought and returned her attention entirely to her father.

"You're strong Valerie. Stubborn, and a bit too spirited for your own good, but strong. You want to see to it that your sisters are safe, no doubt; you've always taken such good care of them. But winter or no winter, King's Landing is a very dangerous place right now. I've already pledged one daughter away to a life there as is. A similar fate for Arya will surely follow suit in good time... I... Sometimes I think myself lucky- damn lucky, in fact- that at least one of my girls doesn't have the horrific burden of these titles to bear."

Ned's face hardened up a moment, worried that he'd hurt or offended his daughter with that last comment but she simply smiled in agreement.

"It's funny you think so, father... Cant't say the same thought hasn't crossed my mind on more than one occasion. I'm no lady, after all." She smiled then and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Please see to it that Lady Catelyn gets as much aid as she needs... You may have your differences, but I'd like to believe she cares more than she lets on. And until Bran wakes up, it would honor me if you would reciprocate some of that care and see to it that she doesn't just waste away at his bedside. She is just as fragile as he is right now. Speaking of my wife, I should probably go to her... This shall be our last night together for only the gods know how long, and I'm sure she would appreciate it if I was present." He hugged her tight and rose.

"But Lady Cat-" _Hold your tongue_. "Of course... I'll miss you! Terribly." Valerie managed to choke down her sob, but the sight of her silver-blue eyes glazing over with tears by the firelight gave her away clear as day.

"Come now, don't make this any harder than it needs to be. You'll see me again! The girls as well- sooner you might think, even. Be good for me, my dear. _Be good for me._ "

"Always, m'lord."

"Goodbye, sweet Valerie." And with one final fatherly stroke of a rough leather-clad hand under his daughter's chin, Lord Stark left the girl's room and disappeared into the dark halls.

"Goodbye... Father." She hadn't meant for her voice to crack so. She missed him already, Sansa and Arya too, but mostly she missed Jon.

In desperate need of a distraction from the upset rushing her head, the lady-bastard returned to her brush and canvas almost immediately, a disturbingly intricate portrait of a glorious courtyard she'd never even seen before forming stroke by stroke on the page.

As soon as the castle had grown familiarly still and quiet, Val Snow tiptoed along through the upstairs halls with an unlit candle, taking extra care in creeping silently past the master bedroom where her lord father and his lady slept as she had many times before. The stone-slab floors were even more harsh than usual under her feet and she regretted not putting on her houseslippers or even so much a pair of stockings. _Why's always have to be so bloody cold in these halls? Gods help me the day winter dawns once and for all._

All she had to separate her pale, delicate skin from the deep-seated cold, in fact, was a basic sleeveless linen shift dress. It was thin and low and form fitting, and if the dyes had been just a bit more vibrant it would've matched her eyes near perfectly; a very flattering shade of dusty blue. Probably the closest thing to a real nightgown she owned. Situated near the ever-going fireplace and covered thickly with fur and down and wool blankets, the girl's bed was plenty warm enough that she saw very little need for sleeping in any sort of clothes even on the chilliest of nights.

Bustling down the house's secondary foyer stairwell as hastily as she possibly could (needed to avoid what few guards her father saw fit to put on night watch), Val went on. Into the left wing passage and down the long hall until she came at last to the kitchen's stately double doors, she crept inside... And froze.

There was another presence here, evidently unaware of her existence and while she could have easily left then and there... Val somehow had a feeling she wasn't about to get busted just yet. Half-muted rustling and light clinking sounds were all she needed to give it away, someone there to get the same secret fix she was. Another thief in the night.

"Who's there?" She whispered, unwavering, unafraid. She wasn't the one caught in the act after all.

More rustling, a small splash, the shuffle of slightly panicked footsteps on the floor.

Val's voice rose dramatically. "In the name of my father I command you to _stop_! State your business, _now_ , or I'll call the guards!"

A whisper now: "Val...? Val, don't. It's me."

"...Theon!?"

The girl stepped forward, reached into her pocket, lit the cheap unscented taper candle she'd originally brought with her to better forage through the contents of the pantry at last and was instantly met with wide and wild aqua eyes to mirror her own.

"Funny how we keep bumping into each other today, yeah?"

Though didn't appear as though he'd helped himself anything just yet, Valerie could smell a hint of something heavier than ale or wine lingering in the air and saw a glint of it in his gaze. But he wasn't and he wasn't definitely drunk, just... Loosened a bit.

"Seven Hells, Greyjoy, ya nearly scared me shitless! What on earth you doing down here in the wee hours of the morning?" She doubted he would fess up the truth.

Theon ran a hand through his rusty hair and scoffed cockily. "You know I could ask the same of you, though truth be told I already have a pretty good notion of what the answer would be."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

Countering his sarcastic little laugh Val studied the young man's face, trying to read him. "By all means, then. Please go ahead and enlighten me of this secret wisdom you hold over me."

"Oh c'mon Valerie, don't play me for a fool. We're not innocent little kids anymore, and you know as well as I do we're both here for the same reason."

"Honestly, thieving booze from our broken family to take off and party with harlots? That's low. Even for you."

"Our family. Hah... So you admit it, then?"

"Admit what, stealing alcohol? Well..." The blonde teen glanced sheepishly down at her bare feet. "...Not for my _whores_ , at least."

"Gods, I didn't know _you_ had whores, too! Maybe we've more left in common than either of us could've imagined! Any tips and tricks you'd like to share?" Theon covered his mouth with his hand to muffle the minor laughing fit that had begun to ensue, though it did little to mute his hysterics.

Valerie rolled her eyes dramatically and bit her tongue to hold back a grin. He _was_ funny. She proceeded to fill her little cask with a slightly sweet white wine that tasted of exotic citrus fruits, her favorite. "Yes yes, very amusing... Now, why don't we both just grab our drink and go. Nobody has to that know either of us were ever here tonight. Take what you will, go gift it to your favorite workin' girl or something. I'll be on my way as well."

"Harlots are just harlots, birdie, and truth be told I don't much have a favorite. Good for a nice quick fuck and a bit of warmth at night but that about does it. Not much sincerity or depth can be found from a woman who's being paid off to suck your cock, I'm afraid- then again, not all women are like you." He suddenly became painfully aware of that last little muddle-headed slip of the tongue... as well as of the look on her face: "I'm sorry, too crass?"

To his surprise though the girl actually laughed out loud. Took long drink of the wine she'd poured herself, a few small drops sliding down her pale chest and into the rather low neckline of her thin dress in a way that was beautifully unladylike and most deliciously improper... Theon had to force himself to pry his eyes away.

"From you, Kraken?" She was warming, her smile softening. Sometimes she forgot just how much this boy could once ease her loneliness and sour moods without even trying... And as good at hiding it as she was, tonight V _alerie was fucking lonely._ "Please. Nothing surprises me anymore!" The blonde giggled. "And besides, if I recall, my own foul mouth has made even _you_ blush on more than one occasion. Sometimes it can be a little... Much." More giggles. _Was she honestly drunk from a few gulps?_ he wondered, _or had she just gone a little bit mad?_ "But there's no need for formalities or stuffiness between you and I, ever. You should know that by now."

Seeing Val in such good spirits towards him steeled the Ironborn's nerves, and suddenly inspired him to go out on a limb:

"Glad you think so, 'cause I couldn't agree more. And while I can't say your first assumptions were all that far off from what I had planned for tonight... I'll be honest, whores get boring. Buggin' you, though, _never_. Would you perhaps like some company?"

In time with another quick swig of liquid bliss, she contemplated the offer. "Well, I suppose that depends on what sort of company you feel like providing... I know all too well now the kind you keep with other women!" Snickering again, she looked genuinely amused.

"I already told you, Snow-bird", he offered up an smile that was uncharacteristically shy and sweet compared to his typical cocky smirk, "you're not _like_ other women." The redheaded boy at last selected a bottle from the shelf before them. He opened it and drank, gestured for her to follow him as he left the room. "Now come on, I'll show you something."

"If you think I'm sneaking out with you-"

"No silly, nothing like that... Not tonight anyway." Both secretly relishing in their sneaky little adventure as they had so many times in the past, the Snow-bird and her Kraken-boy made their way upstairs. "Have you ever seen been up the old watchtower to see the city in the dead of night, Val? I go up myself to think from time to time. And when the sun rises... You'll see. You could even paint it sometime." He said, trying to make conversation.

"It sounds lovely. Maybe I shall." She stepped in closer to him, his sleeve brushing her skirts... Both stiffened up a bit but neither pulled away. _Perhaps the gods have spared me on this one, perhaps my prayers have been answered-_ _ **this**_ _is the boy I remember._

"Theon?"

No response.

"Ahem. Might I ask a question?"

"Oh, sorry- just marveling at how you've called me by my own given name more times in the last hour than in the whole past year, collectively. You're being awfully nice to me... Drunk already little Snow-bird?" She pretended to scowl, he laughed. "That's another thing; I don't think you've asked me to stop calling you that even once tonight. Has there been a change in the stars or something, girl?"

The girl moved her eyes away from him a moment and smirked shyly. "So I have to be intoxicated now, to speak politely with an old friend? Maybe our stars _have_ shifted, who knows? The world grows ever colder in more ways than one. And I've just... I've missed you, your warmth- I mean missed this, is all. We always had such fun together."

The Greyjoy boy's face lit up at that, brighter than it had in longer than either of them could exactly remember. Brighter than the candle in Val's hand, brighter than the moon and stars alike. And while his ego was sort of hoping she hadn't seen this reflection of a little boy's fawning for his first crush on his face... He knew she had, and was too far glad to have his best friend back for the night to care much either way.

"I... Know how you feel. Come on then, we're here!" He swung the weathered door back on its rusty hinges, and the pair entered the base level Castle Stark's original watchtower. "I read once that they built the new tower a few winters so they'd have enough space to add a little room on top, provide the men on Night Lookout with some shelter from the elements. More comfortable maybe, but comfort ain't exactly an Ironborn's top priority now is it? Heh. Besides, I'm sure this one has a better view- and almost no one comes here anymore- just wait 'til you see it."

Theon was just about to start up the ladder that would take him straight to the peak of the colossal open air structure when he noticed Val shivering behind him. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. He_ told himself. _As if you haven't noticed how little she's got on more than once tonight... And you can't even be bothered to dig your dirty little mind out of the gutter just long enough to realize she might get cold!?_

"Just a fair warnin', it can get wickedly cold up there some nights... You should probably take my cloak." He removed the thick garb of fur and leather that had been snugly draped over his shoulders, held it out to her.

Being somewhat preoccupied with her wine intake, Valerie looked a bit flustered by the offer, caught off guard by such a display of chivalry and concern. "Nah... This Snow-bird is used to the cold. I'll be fine, really!"

"Well I'm certainly not about let you catch your death up there, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. C'mere."

"I really don't-"

The redhead circled in behind the girl, close enough so she could feel his breath against the nape of her neck and her heart compulsively skipped a beat.

He shook his head and grinned, "Stubborn as ever I see. Not that I mind such a quality of course, but-", proceeded to drape his jacket over her shoulders and came back around to meet her gaze. -"I've got three layers on. _You_ on the other hand..." His eyes wandered her figure under that painfully thin dress until her cheeks burned hot. "Well, let's just say you'll need the coverage a lot more than I will. Let's go."

Theon headed up the ladder with Val not far behind, and when she reached the top he held a gloved hand out to his friend and helped her up. To her relief it was warmer tonight than she thought it'd be, though not by much. The young man pulled the stolen bottle out of the inner pocket of his vest and took a long rewarding gulp. "Well, what do you think?"

Ned's eldest daughter raised her cask and followed suit. She started to feel giddy from the drink, light as air, and pulled his cloak tighter around her chilly frame. Inhaling deeply as the scent of copper and cloves, sourleaf tobacco and spiced liqueurs rose up from the garment and from his invitingly warm body as well... Truth be told the view was just about the last thing on her mind.

"Hm? It's... Nice- *hic* -breathtaking really."

He grinned at her, the heat of the booze showing on his face as well. "Knew you'd think so."

And distracted as she may have been, she really did.

As they settled in at the peak of their ascent the high moon glittered over Winterfell, reflecting its illustrious image upon the light snow they had gotten earlier in the day. Everything in sight seemed to be frosted with sweet vanilla cream save for the crystal clarity of the black velvet sky, shimmering above in its own thousand-diamond glory... Really _would_ make a brilliant painting.

Theon broke the silence. "Hey. What was it you wanted to ask me earlier anyway?"

"Oh, I nearly forgot!" The blonde cleared her throat. "Erm... How exactly did you know what I was doing, down in the kitchen earlier?"

"Hah. Was that all?" Now it was his turn to scoot in closer. "I know you better than you might think, you're really not as good at hiding from me as you presume to be. How else would I have thought to bring you up here rather than to a tavern or something? Notice how badly you needed friend tonight to begin with? I might be an ass, Val, but I'm not a _stupid ass_. I do care, y'know."

 _All doubts answered._ "Thank you. Your words and sympathies mean more to me than you could ever hope to know... Perhaps I haven't lost my _only_ true brother after all."

He took her in, blue eyes turned up to the sky in drunken wonder. A few strands of her icy hair were breaking free from her loose braid, dancing against near-flawless skin in the wind. She was so beautiful to him, so oblivious to it... If that beauty had only been skin deep he might be able to brush it off. "Brother...? Hmph. If you say so, Snow-bird."

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't. But tell me, Kraken: do you bring _all_ your whores here? Seems like far too romantic a spot to be wasting on the likes of me."

"My relationship with 'my whores' begins and ends at the brothel, so no. Of _all the ones_ I could've brought it's just been you actually- I mean, not that you're a- Fuck! _Seven hells._

"I'm teasing, I'm teasing! No need to get your girdle in a bunch." the bastard girl's playful cobalt eyes seemed to bore into the redhead as he had another sip from the brown bottle in his hand. "What's that you've got there, anyway?"

"All the drink you've liberated for yourself over the years, and you never thought to try anything harder than wine? No? It's brandy, and with your drinking habits you'd be wiser not to.

" _My_ habits? Pssssht, please, like yours ain't just bad if not worse, ya bleedin' drunk!" Her coy laughter rang out like music to his ears. "Can I have a taste?"

"Oh, I suppose."

She took a great gulp and tried to swallow and _oh fuck the burn_. Spitting half out almost instantaneously, she shuddered and looked at him like he was the single most mental man to walk the Seven Realms since the Mad King himself.

"Dear Lord, that's revolting! How could you, how could anyone-" It hit her. "Oh my. Certainly warms the blood at least. I could get used to this." Sipped off the pungent liquor again, slower this time, pacing herself.

"Well it's not like men take this sort of drink for the taste! Hah! How'd it make ya feel, birdie?"

Passing the bottle back, she leaned into him... Probably for the heat more than anything, but Theon couldn't help but tense a bit as the curves of her body pressed up against his chest and stomach even through the cloak. _Heavens give me strength._

Valerie Snow was flying high. _Loose lips may sink ships... Or build them._ "Like... *hic* Like I hardly ever want this night to end."

 _She wanted to kiss him, then and there before all of Winterfell and all the stars in the sky and gods of heaven and earth alike, holy hell did she want to kiss him, she-_

"Are you sure you're thinking clearly? Have you gone mad, girl? But I can't disagree; tonight it's as though hardly any time has passed between us at all! ...Is it the booze?"

"And many nights after this one, hopefully! It isn't the wine, you fool," _But what if it was?_ Though she sincerely doubted it, Val restrained herself from her scandalous thought nonetheless... Decided to wait it out and see how she felt when her head cleared up. _You **just**_ _got your best friend back, silly girl; don't go spoiling it again already._

So, the girl born of ice and snow sat up through the wee hours of the morning with the boy born of water and iron, reminiscing on times gone by and making excited plans for those waiting to be had, admiring the stars, talking of books and booze and battles and the frivolity of their royal peers, cracking jokes and poking fun, passing the bottle back and forth and huddling together for warmth... Trying to stave off their unwittingly mutual urges for even more touch.

All sense of time was lost, and as with any properly improper fairytale evening it seemed only the first rays of dawn could break this enchanted spell.

"Shit!"

"What is it?"

"My father! He said he'd be getting the girls up and leaving for King's Landing first thing this morning. Half the house could be awake by now. If we're found creeping through the castle at this hour, with liquor on our breath no less... I..."

"Perhaps we should go then, while time is still on our side." Somewhere in his head a little voice pleaded him to ask her to bed with him, he snuffed it out almost as quickly as it had come on.

Instead he walked Valerie back to her room, and had only just bid her goodnight when she all of the sudden reached out and seized both his hands, avoiding his gaze but making a point of playing with his fingers, weaving them into her own.

"I just wanted to thank you. You know, for showing me your secret little midnight hideaway, for being here when I needed you most, for making me laugh. For... Just being you." And she leaned in a final time that night, her hot breathy half-drunk lips not even an inch from his ear, freeing up one hand just long enough to run a finger boldly down the nape of his neck and along his collar... "Goodnight, Theon Greyjoy." With that, she turned and waltzed into her room, smirked teasingly at him before starting to close the door.

"The pleasure's been all mine. Goodnight, Valerie Snow."

Her bedroom door clicked shut. _'The pleasure's been all mine'. What's gotten into me, for fuck's sake!?_ The young man chuckled as he walked away, still feeling light as a feather and hot as wildfire. "Torture. Absolute torture."

As she listened to her Kraken's footsteps faded away to nothing, the girl wanted nothing more now than to to fall to the floor in drunken exhaustion and laugh her head off and dance a jig all at once... But settled on simply throwing herself in bed and burying her face in the pillow to drown the near-hysterical excitement that the sensation of his skin against hers had left her with.

Within minutes of Theon's departure to his own quarters both of them began to hear the castle slowly start to stir with the sounds of life once again, and counted themselves lucky for their impeccable timing.

Despite all the mixed emotions the last twenty-four hours had offered, in that exact moment Ned Stark's little bastard girl had never felt been more satisfied in all her days. Wrapped tightly in Theon Greyjoy's soft, warm cloak and half-imagining it was his arms she was in instead... Val Snow started to drift away into the sort of deep and contended sleep only two things in the whole wide world could have brought her restless mind: liquor, and love.

 **To be continued...**


End file.
